Lesson 26: King Solomon: Man of Wisdom, Man of Foolishness

“Lesson 26: King Solomon: Man of Wisdom, Man of Foolishness,” Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, 123

1 Kings 3; 5–11

Purpose

To encourage class members to use their blessings wisely and to enter the temple worthily.

Preparation

• 1. Prayerfully study the following scriptures:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • a. 1 Kings 3:5–28. Solomon succeeds his father, David, as king, and follows the Lord. The Lord appears to Solomon, who asks to be blessed with an understanding heart (3:5–9). The Lord blesses Solomon with wisdom, riches, and honor (3:10–15). Two women take a child to Solomon, who wisely determines which woman is the mother of the child (3:16–28).
    
  • b. 1 Kings 5–6; 7:1–12. King Solomon directs the construction of a great temple (5–6). He has a palace built for himself (1 Kings 7:1–12).
    
  • c. 1 Kings 8:22–66; 9:1–9. Solomon dedicates the temple and asks the Lord to bless the Israelites with spiritual and temporal prosperity (8:22–53). The people worship for 14 days (8:54–66). The Lord again appears to Solomon, promising to bless the Israelites if they serve him but to curse them if they turn to other gods (9:1–9).
    
  • d. 1 Kings 10–11. Solomon’s fame grows because of his wealth and wisdom (10:1–13, 24–25). He becomes excessively wealthy (10:14–23, 26). He marries many non-Israelite women who persuade him to worship false gods (11:1–10). The Lord stirs up adversaries against Solomon (11:11–25). A prophet foretells that the kingdom of Israel will be divided because of Solomon’s wickedness (11:26–40).
    
• 2. Additional reading: 1 Kings 2:1–12; 4:29–34; 7:13–51; 1 Chronicles 29; Doctrine and Covenants 46.
  
• 3. If the picture Temple Used Anciently is available, you may want to use it during the lesson (62300; Gospel Art Picture Kit 118).
  

Suggested Lesson Development

Attention Activity

You may want to use the following activity (or one of your own) to begin the lesson.
Read or have a class member read the following statement by Elder Dallin H. Oaks:
“We generally think of Satan attacking us at our weakest spot. … But weakness is not our only vulnerability. Satan can also attack us where we think we are strong—in the very areas where we are proud of our strengths. He will approach us through the greatest talents and spiritual gifts we possess. If we are not wary, Satan can cause our spiritual downfall by corrupting us through our strengths as well as by exploiting our weaknesses” (“Our Strengths Can Become Our Downfall,” Ensign, Oct. 1994, 12).

• • What are some strengths that could become our downfall?
  

Explain that this lesson is about King Solomon, a man who received great gifts from God but eventually used those gifts unrighteously. Suggest that class members look for incidents that show the gradual decline of Solomon. Emphasize that we should look for his flaws not to judge him, but to learn from his mistakes.

Scripture Discussion and Application

As you teach the following scripture passages, discuss how they apply to daily life. Encourage class members to share experiences that relate to the scriptural principles.
Just before David died, Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed Solomon as the new king. Solomon, who was a son of David and Bathsheba, received the following counsel from his father: “Be thou strong … , and shew thyself a man; and keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, … that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest” (1 Kings 2:2–3).

1. The Lord blesses Solomon with wisdom, riches, and honor.

Teach and discuss 1 Kings 3:5–28.

• • Soon after Solomon became king, the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Ask what I shall give thee” (1 Kings 3:5). What did Solomon ask for? (See 1 Kings 3:9.) What does it mean to have an “understanding heart”? (See 1 Kings 3:28; 4:29.) Why did Solomon feel a special need for that blessing? (See 1 Kings 3:7–8.) How would having “the wisdom of God” help us with our responsibilities at home? at work? at school? in the Church? How can we receive this wisdom?
  
• • Why was the Lord pleased with Solomon’s request for an understanding heart? (See 1 Kings 3:11–12. Solomon asked for a gift that would help him serve others rather than a gift with selfish purposes.) What are some spiritual gifts we may seek? (See D&C 46:13–26.) On what conditions does the Lord give gifts of the Spirit? (See 1 Kings 3:14; D&C 46:8–12.) How can we use these gifts to serve others?
  
• • What additional blessings did the Lord grant Solomon? (See 1 Kings 3:13–14.) How might these blessings be used to serve others?
  
• • What was the first situation requiring King Solomon’s judgment? (See 1 Kings 3:16–22.) How did Solomon solve the problem? (See 1 Kings 3:23–28.) How did Solomon’s solution show that the Lord had blessed him with wisdom?
  

2. King Solomon directs the construction of a great temple and has a palace built for himself.

Teach and discuss 1 Kings 5–6; 7:1–12.

• • As commanded by the Lord, Solomon directed that a temple be constructed. (You may want to briefly review 1 Kings 5:1–6, 17–18; 6:15–36 to emphasize the elaborate nature of the temple.) Why do you think Solomon used such fine material to build the temple?
  
• • How did the builders show reverence for the temple during its construction? (See 1 Kings 6:7.)
  
• • How did Solomon use his wisdom, riches, and honor to ensure proper construction of the temple? (See 1 Kings 5:1–12. Because of these blessings he was able to obtain building materials and enlist the help of skillful laborers in the construction of the temple.)
  
• • What promise did the Lord give Solomon regarding the temple? (See 1 Kings 6:11–13.) What similar promise has the Lord given us today? (See D&C 97:15–17.)
  
• • Solomon also had a house built for himself. How did the size of his house compare to the size of the house of the Lord? (See 1 Kings 6:2–3; 7:2, 6–7.) How does this use of riches show Solomon’s gradual decline?
  

3. Solomon dedicates the temple.

Teach and discuss 1 Kings 8:22–66; 9:1–9.

• • After seven years of construction, the temple was dedicated. What are some of the things Solomon prayed for in the dedicatory prayer? (See 1 Kings 8:22–53.)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • You may want to list class members’ answers on the chalkboard. Answers may include the following:
    
  • a. Answers to prayers (1 Kings 8:28–30, 49–52)
    
  • b. Forgiveness (1 Kings 8:33–39)
    
  • c. Rain (1 Kings 8:35–36)
    
  • d. Help during famine and sickness (1 Kings 8:37)
    
  • e. Help in battle (1 Kings 8:44–45)
    
• • In his dedicatory prayer Solomon prayed for the Lord to help his people through many difficult problems. How can temple attendance help us when we are weighed down with problems?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • President Ezra Taft Benson said: “In the peace of these lovely temples, sometimes we find solutions to the serious problems of life. Under the influence of the Spirit, sometimes pure knowledge flows to us there. Temples are places of personal revelation. When I have been weighed down by a problem or a difficulty, I have gone to the House of the Lord with a prayer in my heart for answers. These answers have come in clear and unmistakable ways” (“What I Hope You Will Teach Your Children about the Temple,” Ensign, Aug. 1985, 8).
    
• • Solomon prayed that the temple would help lead unbelievers to the Lord (1 Kings 8:41–43). How might a temple do this? (Invite class members to share examples of how they or others have become interested in the Church because of their interest in temples.)
  
• • After Solomon offered the dedicatory prayer, he counseled his people, “Let your heart … be perfect with the Lord our God” (1 Kings 8:61). What do you think it means to have a heart that is “perfect with the Lord”? How can temple attendance help us perfect our hearts?
  
• • What can we do to keep the influence of the temple strong in our lives? (Answers may include: Attend frequently where possible, keep a current recommend, and display pictures of temples in our homes.)
  
• • What did the people do after the temple was dedicated? (See 1 Kings 8:62–66.) What was the attitude of the people as they returned to their homes after the temple dedication and the 14 days of worship? (See 1 Kings 8:66.) How do you feel when you return home from the temple?
  
• • What was the Lord’s message when he visited Solomon after the dedication of the temple? (See 1 Kings 9:3–9. See also 1 Kings 6:11–13. Note that the Lord made a similar statement during the construction of the temple.) Why do you think Solomon needed to be reminded of his covenants? How does the Lord remind us of our covenants?
  

4. Solomon becomes excessively wealthy and marries many non-Israelite women who persuade him to worship idols. 

Jacob 2:  13 And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they. 

14 And now, my brethren, do ye suppose that God justifieth you in this thing? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. But he condemneth you, and if ye persist in these things his judgments must speedily come unto you.

Teach and discuss 1 Kings 10–11.

• • How did Solomon’s riches and honor increase after the temple was built? (See 1 Kings 10:1–15, 24–25.) How did Solomon misuse these blessings? (See 1 Kings 10:16–23, 26–29. Point out that he used them to build up his own kingdom rather than God’s kingdom.) How should wisdom, riches, and honor be used? (See Jacob 2:18–19.)
  
• • How did Solomon’s choice of wives show that he had turned away from God? (See 1 Kings 11:1–2. He married out of the covenant.) What did Solomon’s non-Israelite wives influence him to do? (See 1 Kings 11:3–8. Note that in the Joseph Smith Translation, verse 4 says that Solomon’s heart “became as the heart of David his father” and verse 6 says that “Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, as David his father.”)
  
• • What did the Lord do when Solomon broke his covenants and turned away? (See 1 Kings 11:9–14, 23–25, 33–36.)
  
• • How do you think the blessings of wisdom, riches, and honor contributed to Solomon’s downfall? How have you seen these strengths contribute to the downfall of people today? How can we ensure that our strengths do not become a downfall for us? (See 1 Kings 8:61; D&C 88:67.)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • Elder Dallin H. Oaks said:
    
  • “How … do we prevent our strengths from becoming our downfall? The quality we must cultivate is humility. Humility is the great protector. Humility is the antidote against pride. Humility is the catalyst for all learning, especially spiritual things. Through the prophet Moroni, the Lord gave us this great insight into the role of humility: ‘I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them’ (Ether 12:27).
    
  • “We might also say that if men and women humble themselves before God, he will help them prevent their strengths from becoming weaknesses that the adversary can exploit to destroy them. …
    
  • “… If we are humble and teachable, hearkening to the commandments of God, the counsel of his leaders, and the promptings of his Spirit, we can be guided in how to use our spiritual gifts, our accomplishments, and all of our other strengths for righteousness. And we can be guided in how to avoid Satan’s efforts to use our strengths to cause our downfall.
    
  • “In all of this, we should remember and rely on the Lord’s direction and promise: ‘Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers’ (D&C 112:10)” (“Our Strengths Can Become Our Downfall,” Ensign, Oct. 1994, 19).
    

Conclusion

Express your gratitude for the spiritual and material blessings the Lord has given you and for the temple. Encourage class members to humble themselves before the Lord so they can use their blessings wisely and enter the temple worthily.

Additional Teaching Ideas

The following material supplements the suggested lesson outline. You may want to use one or more of these ideas as part of the lesson.

1. “That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren” (Deuteronomy 17:20)

• • Have a class member read aloud Deuteronomy 17:14–20. How would application of this scripture have changed Solomon’s life and the lives of the people in his kingdom?
  

2. Dedicatory prayers for temples

If any class members have attended a temple dedication, ask one or two of them to tell about their experience. You may want to ask a class member to prepare to share two or three insights from the dedicatory prayer of a latter-day temple. (Doctrine and Covenants 109 contains the prayer offered at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple. Dedicatory prayers of newly dedicated temples are sometimes printed in the Ensign.)

• • How should dedicatory prayers influence our personal lives?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • President Joseph Fielding Smith said, “When we dedicate a house to the Lord, what we really do is dedicate ourselves to the Lord’s service, with a covenant that we shall use the house in the way He intends that it shall be used” (Church News, 22 Jan. 1972, 3). 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  GIORDANO, Luca
  (b. 1632, Napoli, d. 1705, Napoli)

  Dream of Solomon

  c. 1693
  Oil on canvas, 245 x 361 cm
  Museo del Prado, Madrid
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  King Solomon and the Brazen Sea
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  J. James Tissot
  Solomon Dedicates the Temple at Jerusalem

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba by Peter Paul Rubens  1620
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  http://joelsmonastery.blogspot.com/2010/06/ot-gospel-doctrine-lesson-26-king.html
  
  http://www.heavenlyascents.com/2010/06/21/temple-of-solomon-videos/
  
  Legends of  questions asked by the Queen of Sheba and how Solomon answered them:
  
  
  Balkis: "What is evil?"
  
  
  Solomon: "The eyes of the Lord in every place monitor good and evil, and in them is the definition."
  
  
  Balkis: "Are the eyes or the ears superior?"
  
  
  Solomon: "The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made both. Degrees of deafness and blindness, these are man’s province, and measurable."
  
  
  Balkis: "What is the most powerful organ of the body, Solomon?"
  
  
  Solomon: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue."
  
  
  Balkis: "How are body and spirit connected?"
  
  
  Solomon: "The baseness of spirits is derived from their bodies. The nobility of bodies is derived from their spirits."
  
  
  Balkis: "What is it? An enclosure with ten doors; when one is open, nine are shut, and when nine are open, one is shut?"
  
  
  Solomon: "The enclosure is the womb, and the ten doors are the ten orifices of man, namely his eyes, his ears, his nostrils, his mouth, the apertures for discharge of excreta and urine, and the navel. When the child is still in its mother’s womb, the navel is open, but all the other apertures are shut, but when the child issues from the womb the navel is closed and the other orifices are open."
  
  
  Balkis: "Seven leave and nine enter; two pour out the draught and only one drinks."
  
  
  How did Solomon respond? "Seven are the days of woman’s menstruation, nine the months of her pregnancy; her two breasts nourish the child, and one drinks."
  
  
  Other riddles concerned with common objects and materials. At one point, Sheba asked, "What when alive does not move, yet when its head cut off, moves?"
  
  
  Solomon’s answer: "The timber used to build a ship." Another riddle she proposed was: "It is many- headed. In a storm at sea it goes above us all, it raises a loud and bitter wailing and moaning; it bends its head like a reed, is the glory of the rich and the shame of the poor, it honors the dead and dishonors the living; it is a delight to the birds, but a sorrow to the fishes. What is it?"
  
  
  Solomon replied, "Flax, for it makes sails for ships that moan in the storm. It provides fine linen for the rich and rags for the poor, a burial shroud for the dead, and a rope for hanging the living. As seed it nourishes the birds, and as a net it traps the fish."
  
  
  Some of Sheba’s questions were related to the Hebrew Bible. For example, "The dead lived, the grave moved, and the dead prayed. What is it?" The answer: "The dead that lived and prayed was Jonah; the fish, the moving grave." In one theological riddle, she asked: "What is the ugliest thing in the world, and what is the most beautiful? What is the most certain, and what is the most uncertain?"
  
  
  Solomon replied, "The ugliest thing...is the faithful turning unfaithful; the most beautiful is the repentant sinner. The most certain is death; the most uncertain, one’s share in the World to Come."
  
  
  Solomon is said to have collected over 3,000 proverbs or folk sayings filled with practical advice from around the Near Eastern world. The proverbs dealt with a variety of subjects. The book of Proverbs in the Holy Bible are thought to have originated from Solomon, as are the Song of Solomon and even the book of Ecclesiastes is attributed to some as Solomon’s wisdom in his declining years. In addition to riddles which required a verbal answer, Sheba tested Solomon’s ingenuity in action. Dressing five boys and girls identically, she asked him to detect their sex. When he handed them bowls of water for them to wash their hands, the girls, unlike the boys, rolled up their sleeves. Sheba also brought Solomon two flowers alike in appearance, but one was real while the other was artificial; he distinguished them by noting how bees swarmed to the flower with the genuine fragrance. Then, giving him a large emerald with a curved hole in the middle, she asked him to draw a thread through it; he sent for a silkworm, which crawled through the hole drawing with it a silken thread. The Midrash Hachefez reports still another test of Solomon’s cleverness. Sheba presented Solomon with the sawn trunk of a cedar tree, the ends cut off so that they looked the same; she asked Solomon which end had been the root, and which the branches. Solomon ordered the tree stump to be placed in water. When one end sank while the other floated, he said to her, "The part which sank was the root, and that which floated on the surface was the end containing the branches." According to the Kebra Negast, the questions and tests were mutual; Solomon also challenged Sheba. Sadly, existing legends describe only a few of the artful strategies he used to outwit her.
   from http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/texts/gmd1999/sheba.html
  
  
  
  
  
  
  http://scriptures.lds.org/en/biblephotos/9
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  http://www.lds.org/hf/art/0,16812,4218-1-1,00.html
  
  
  
  
  D&C 46
  
  

  Listen    Print < Previous  Next > THE DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS SECTION 46 Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to the Church, at Kirtland, Ohio, March 8, 1831. HC 1: 163–165. In this early time of the Church, there had not yet developed a unified pattern for the conducting of Church services. However, a custom of admitting only members and earnest investigators to the sacrament meetings and other assemblies of the Church had become somewhat general. This revelation expresses the will of the Lord relative to governing and conducting meetings. 1–2, Elders are to conduct meetings as guided by the Holy Spirit; 3–6, Truth seekers should not be excluded from sacramental services; 7–12, Ask of God and seek the gifts of the Spirit; 13–26, An enumeration of some of these gifts; 27–33, Church leaders are given power to discern the gifts of the Spirit.   1 Hearken, O ye people of my church; for verily I say unto you that these things were spoken unto you for your aprofit and learning.   2 But notwithstanding those things which are written, it always has been given to the aelders of my church from the beginning, and ever shall be, to bconduct all meetings as they are directed and guided by the Holy Spirit.   3 Nevertheless ye are commanded never to acast any one out from your public bmeetings, which are held before the world.   4 Ye are also commanded not to cast any one who belongeth to the church out of your sacrament meetings; nevertheless, if any have trespassed, let him anot bpartake until he makes reconciliation.   5 And again I say unto you, ye shall not cast any out of your sacrament meetings who are earnestly aseeking the kingdom—I speak this concerning those who are not of the church.   6 And again I say unto you, concerning your aconfirmation meetings, that if there be any that are not of the church, that are earnestly seeking after the kingdom, ye shall not cast them out.   7 But ye are commanded in all things to aask of God, who giveth liberally; and that which the Spirit testifies unto you even so I would that ye should do in all bholiness of heart, walking uprightly before me, cconsidering the end of your salvation, doing all things with prayer and dthanksgiving, that ye may not be eseduced by evil fspirits, or doctrines of devils, or the gcommandments of men; for some are of men, and others of devils.   8 Wherefore, beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye may not be deceived aseek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given;   9 For verily I say unto you, they are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me, that ask and not for a asign that they may bconsume it upon their lusts.   10 And again, verily I say unto you, I would that ye should always remember, and always retain in your aminds what those bgifts are, that are given unto the church.   11 For all have not every agift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.   12 To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.   13 To some it is given by the aHoly Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.   14 To others it is given to abelieve on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful.   15 And again, to some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know the adifferences of administration, as it will be pleasing unto the same Lord, according as the Lord will, suiting his bmercies according to the conditions of the children of men.   16 And again, it is given by the Holy Ghost to some to know the diversities of operations, whether they be of God, that the manifestations of the aSpirit may be given to every man to profit withal.   17 And again, verily I say unto you, to some is given, by the Spirit of God, the word of awisdom.   18 To another is given the word of aknowledge, that all may be taught to be wise and to have knowledge.   19 And again, to some it is given to have afaith to be healed;   20 And to others it is given to have faith to aheal.   21 And again, to some is given the working of amiracles;   22 And to others it is given to aprophesy;   23 And to others the adiscerning of spirits.   24 And again, it is given to some to speak with atongues;   25 And to another is given the interpretation of tongues.   26 And all these agifts come from God, for the benefit of the bchildren of God.   27 And unto the abishop of the church, and unto such as God shall appoint and ordain to watch over the church and to be elders unto the church, are to have it given unto them to bdiscern all those gifts lest there shall be any among you professing and yet be not of God.   28 And it shall come to pass that he that asketh in aSpirit shall receive in Spirit;   29 That unto some it may be given to have all those gifts, that there may be a head, in order that every member may be profited thereby.   30 He that aasketh in the bSpirit asketh according to the cwill of God; wherefore it is done even as he asketh.   31 And again, I say unto you, all things must be done in the name of Christ, whatsoever you do in the Spirit;   32 And ye must give athanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever blessing ye are blessed with.   33 And ye must practise avirtue and holiness before me continually. Even so. Amen.

  
  Jacob 6: 11 O then, my beloved brethren, repent ye, and enter in at the strait gate, and continue in the way which is narrow, until ye shall obtain eternal life.
  
  
  
   12 O be wise; what can I say more?